It has become apparent that one of the best sources of animal protein and fat for the diet is a deboned, skinless poultry breast, preferably, a chicken breast. The breast meat has the protein needed in a diet but minimizes the fat taken in as compared to other cuts such as from a leg or thigh. Deboned, skinless breast meat is now found in virtually every supermarket meat counter and restaurant menu. However, the extra labor needed to debone and skin the breast usually results in a steep premium price for that particular cut. In contrast, the complete breast is usually far less expensive than the deboned and skinless breasts. Thus, there is a need for a simple device which will allow an individual to simply, cheaply and safely, debone and skin a chicken breast in the food service industry, including restaurants and homes.
Various devices for deboning chicken breasts are known in the art. Obviously, one method is to simply use a knife and debone the chicken breast by hand. The use of the manual method is generally time consuming and provide less than satisfactory results. Also, the slippery nature of the meat due can often result in cuts to the hand. Thus, there is a need for stabilization of the breast for safety and for ease of use in the manual method.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,491 entitled "Mandrel Pin" which issued on Dec. 12, 1995 to Koch discloses a cone shaped mandrel on which an entire poultry carcass is placed. A retractable pin pierces the carcass to hold it on the mandrel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,122,780 entitled "Poultry Meat Removal Method" which issued on Mar. 3, 1964 to Segur shows a saddle on which a poultry carcass is mounted. Segur uses a U-shaped element to anchor the carcass to prevent movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,386 entitled "Poultry Breast Filleting System" which issued on Jul. 28, 1987 to Hazenbrook et al. discloses a poultry carcass carrier or saddle having a pair of forwardly facing wing socket protrusions and an intermediate protrusion 34.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,017 entitled "Apparatus for Filleting Meat From Poultry Breast Sections" which issued on Dec. 10, 1985 to Gasbarro shows a mandrel with prongs which are disposed to receive a hole in the breast section which is located near the point where each wing has been removed.
None of the known prior art disclose the device set forth herein.